If this piece of the article was written a decade ago, things would have been way different. Today, how the world perceives women as workers and efficient leaders has certainly changed. And with change, I meant that for the better. Women in the workplace is a whole different story to tell. How they are perceived to the challenges they face, everything is something to know about.
Women in the forefront
Women leaders are everywhere. From housemakers, businesswomen, army officers to politics, there is not a single field where women are shining bright with flying colors. Organizations that do not realize the significance of women in the workplace are missing out. It has been proven many times that women can be great leaders. So apart from doubling the workforce, women have a huge contribution to your company's performance.
These are some of the key points to know before we move further -:
Companies who are in the fortune 500 have shown great performance with a large representation of women vs companies who have less representation of women on their board.
As compared to male-dominated teams, teams with a good mix of both males and females are said to produce better.
Women and workplace well being
Getting a good number of women in your workplace will not only amplify your numbers but impact the work environment too. It has been found that women cater to the well-being of a workplace and make an organization a better place to work.
A survey done by a U.S based company showed that a higher number of women in a workplace ensures better job performance, more meaningful work, and less burnout. And that's not it. Women help in increasing the engagement between the staff and reducing absenteeism. Especially under a woman employer, employees feel a more positive environment with enjoyable work.
And these measures are not something that can be taken into consideration only for women. Men also, second to the fact that they feel more satisfied, enjoy the work more and less tired in the company of female colleagues.
So what do women want in today's day and age?
Women today are not compromising for anything substandard. So what does it take to attract, accommodate and retain a female employee? Here are some things to take care of.
Flexibility -: Women want a flexible approach towards work. Flexibility is one of the topmost priorities in their list of workplace perks. Paid times of healthcare perks, flexible leadership were amongst the others. Work from home and paid overwork should also be kept in mind. When we say flexibility, women need it, too raise families simultaneously with their career. Work from home is rather more important to these women.
Leadership opportunities -:Now this is where the real debate is. Leadership is a cerebral quality. It should not be treated based on gender. Studies show that women are expected to be more skilled and qualified than men to grab the same opportunity. Men typically turn down leadership offers because they don't like it. (not interested, not enough pay, working hours are too much). These concerns are shown by women too but in some cases, they were worried, not confident in their qualifications.
And the cliche that women don't hold leadership positions well is something that they have to fight every day.
Given all this, what women firstly want is basic rights such as equal pay, admonish sexism, and equal leadership opportunities.
Not the basic 9 to 5-: Women want career opportunities that perfectly fits with the other areas of their life. They need to work on something that they need to enjoy in their lives and make a difference. Moreover, they need to work on something that connects to their ethics and principles.
Challenges faced by women in the workplace
A woman's presence in an organization is seen as stronger commitments and better participating leadership. A deep analysis of the managerial impact of women- with a deep sense of purpose shows that their influence leads to better productivity and momentum in the company.
Female entrepreneurship not only influences the organization but also social motivations and achievements. Greater growth and development can be achieved by infusing this ecosystem at the collective level. Community-based enterprises have emerged as key instruments of women's empowerment.
But having said that women and men are still not on the same page when it comes to workplace diversity. In the data shown of the past years, it can be seen that women are still underrepresented in the organization.
Women around the world have been trying to break the norms and standards of society. For the past decade, while it may seem that the world is progressing for women in the workplace, the reality is a little different.
Women continue to remain underrepresented at every level of the organization with an increase at the senior level. In fact, according to a survey, women get paid less than men for an equal amount of work they do. Also, some face challenges like verbal, abusive and visual, and sexual harassment.
The #Me too movement which showed how women are still mistreated in offices should be an eye-opener. Therefore, to bring a positive workforce diversity in our organization, we should aim to shatter gender inequality and reduce gender gaps to achieve economic, social, and personal equality.
What organization can do to support women in the workplace
These are some of the things that organizations can do to support women in the workplace.
Women need to do work that they enjoy doing. Take time to learn about their skills, likings, values and give them opportunities based on that. Integrate these values and execute a job to their calling.
Support their need to multitask. Women have a lot to do. This goes without saying that they need to be present completely at work and for their children whenever they have. Allow them to work from home without any pay cut.
Give both genders opportunities based on their worth. Leadership should be given to a person based on their merit coupled with ample resources and authority. Provide them mentoring, training, and all things that a man would get.
We all know for a fact that women are talented and are here to stay. The more we steer away from the fact that women are extraordinary individuals who can bring a change to an organization, the more we are missing out on something. Therefore, I think it's time to accept them as they are and let them shine.
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